One Dozen Roses
by Angel Ren
Summary: Fluff! Again! Twilight, Valentine's Day. Three weeks after the Tyler's Van incident, Bella Swan finds herself on the radar for many a suitor. But who in the world keeps leaving her roses in the most impossible places? BellaEdward Fluffic! Series
1. Mystery Rose

**Update**: This story has been nominated on Twilight Awards! If you enjoy this, please go to www(dot)twilightawards(dot)this-paradise(dot)com and vote for me!

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Summary: Valentine's Day, _Twilight_. Three weeks after the Tyler's Van Incident, Bella finds herself on the radar for many a suitor as Valentine's Day approaches. Whatever will she do? And who in God's name is putting roses everywhere? Even in places impossible for a human to be? E&B Fluffic series.

_One Dozen Roses_, Part One: Mystery Rose

Three weeks. It had been three whole weeks since the Tyler Crowley Incident. I would've thought that he'd be over it by now. I would've thought that maybe he didn't hate me anymore. I could've sworn I would be right.

I wasn't.

He was still ignoring me, as if I'd never existed. I wanted to shake him, throttle him, talk to him, and ask him what he was hiding from me. Every day, I would decide that today would be the day I would stop pretending he wasn't beside me for a whole hour. Every day, I would walk into Biology and see his rigid back and perfect posture. I would feel the courage drain from me until I was but a mouse, and every day I would predictably sink into my chair and ignore him.

Or rather, I tried to. I tried to sit quietly and pretend there wasn't a bizarre, handsome, mysterious man sitting next to me. I tried to act as though I didn't care, and at the same time I shied away, trying not to disturb the very air he breathed.

If he breathed at all.

Sometimes I wasn't so sure. He sat away from me, as always, and he was perfectly still. Like stone, as if I reeked or smelled of something terrible. And I'd always shy away into the corner and try and pretend he wasn't there. Once in a while he would move next to me, and my heart would skip a beat. Otherwise, I was careful not to give any sign of awareness. It was a good thing he couldn't hear my pulse.

Today was no different. Mike followed me into Biology. I really wasn't paying attention to what he was saying – I rarely did. I took one look at Cullen's perfect posture, and my courage to throttle him slipped away. Again. Meekly, I took my seat beside him, turning casually away so I wouldn't accidentally end up staring at him. Again.

Then, Mike deviated from my routine. He was supposed to go and sit down, and Mr. Banner was supposed to begin the lecture, and I was supposed to take notes and pretend that Edward Cullen didn't exist.

But Mike didn't sit down. He leaned up casually against our – my; no one was sitting next to me, remember? – desk.

"I was wondering what you were doing Friday evening," he asked nonchalantly. Suddenly, my Mike-senses were tingling. I became consciously aware as Edward tensed next to me, and I studied Mike coolly for a moment. I tried to think of what he was getting at before he said it.

"Uh, I don't know, probably something with Charlie, why?" I responded carefully, watching his face. Edward's tensed fist on the table seemed to tense even more. Mike looked perpetually confused.

"Don't you know? Everyone's been talking about it, Bella. It's Valentine's Day!"

I think my heart stopped. Did Edward just make a quiet choking sound next to me?

"V-Valentine's Day? The one with all the hearts and candy?" I didn't feel well. Mike didn't notice.

"I didn't realize there was any other. So what do you think? Would you like to go see a movie with me? Dinner and a movie? My treat, of course."

Quick! Think fast!

"Uh, That's really kind of you to ask me, Mike, but I'd have to check with Charlie first, you know. Make sure it's okay that I go out. I'll let you know tomorrow, okay?" I plastered on a smile and tried to look convincing. Really, I was just trying not to vomit. I prayed I could make plans with Charlie and use them as an excuse.

Mike's face fell a little, but he nodded, still looking hopeful.

"Okay, well, let me know, okay?" Mr. Banner had moved to the front of the room, and Mike unwillingly relinquished his place in front of my desk.

As soon as it was safe to do so, I smacked my forehead against the desk and just stayed like that, my hair pooling around my face.

"Must be something in the water," I mumbled. The boys had _never_ acted like this in Phoenix. I could've sworn I heard a ghostly chuckle at my side, but when my eyes snapped up to glare at Cullen, he was looking at Mr. Banner studiously. I glared at the side of his face. Stupid Cullen. Stupid Volvo-

"Bella?" Shoot. I glanced quickly at Mr. Banner, and I realized he was waiting for the answer to a question. I hadn't even heard the question. Stupid Cullen! Stupid shiny-

"RNA," Edward murmured under his breath. Without taking the time to gawk at the first words he'd spoken to me in a month, I answered Mr. Banner.

"Ribonucleic Acid?"

"Very good, Bella! I guess you were paying attention after all. My apologies," Mr. Banner said before getting back to the lecture.

"Thank you," I murmured softly without looking to him again. He said nothing more the rest of the day, nor gave any other indication of his awareness of my existence. Stupid Cullen.

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As if I had thought that sixth hour biology was bad, the entire day had just gone downhill from there. Under normal circumstances, I would've thought that Cullen speaking to me, even if it were just two words, would be cause for celebration. It wasn't. He'd ignored me the rest of the day. And he'd probably ignore me tomorrow. And the next day. That was fine.

Gym had been terrible, as usual. Who ever decided that tetherball was a good idea for a gym sport was insane. I had tried to hit the ball, honest. After my fourth miss – and my fourth smack to the face - and the ensuing bloody nose, Coach Clapp dismissed me from class. I'd gone to the nurse, and she'd given me some gauze to put against it. She had dismissed me early from school that day. As I headed for my truck, I'd noticed that the Volvo was gone. Strange. Then again, so was he.

I tossed my backpack onto my bed. Not a whole lot of homework to do tonight, but the most pressing thing to get done was find something to do with Charlie on Valentine's Day. Anything. Ice fishing, even.

Until he got home, however, I had to find something productive to do. Homework was easy. Memorize some trig formulae and do the homework from the end of the section in the Biology book.

It took very little time at all, and I opted to begin a paper for English that wasn't due for several more weeks, just so I could have something to work on.

After I managed to wrestle and beat an hour to death, I saved my half-finished paper on my computer and shut it off before heading downstairs to start putting together some hamburger patties for dinner.

I heard the door open and Charlie's footsteps as he walked inside. I heard the shuffle of clothing as he took off his gun holster and hung it up on the peg by the door.

"Smells good, Bells. What's cooking? Oh, burgers. Should I go light the grill up outside?" Charlie peeked into the kitchen, eyeing the patties I was patting together.

"Sure, Dad," I called over my shoulder. I heard the front door open again, and within five minutes I could smell burning charcoal. I set the patties on a plate and carried them outside, armed with a metal spatula. Within twenty minutes, we were sitting down to eat, dressing the burgers. I decided to broach the dangerous subject.

"So, uh, Dad, what are you doing Friday?"

Charlie glanced up, holding the sliver of onion over the juicy burger, giving me a curious look. Without answering right away, he glanced down to the food and finished arranged the onion, and then set the bun neatly on top before answering.

"Er, I have work, Bells. What's up?"

Oh. Right. Weekday. Think fast.

"Nothing, I was just wondering," I said. Charlie watched me for a moment before bringing his burger up to his mouth and taking a bite. He wasn't convinced, but Charlie wasn't one to push the issue.

I still needed a reason. I finished dressing my burger and started to eat, contemplatively. I could call Angela. She would totally bail me out. She would agree to make plans with me, and pretend we'd had them the whole time.

After finishing dinner, I washed the dishes and put them away before picking up the phone. I dialed Angela and waited impatiently for her to answer.

"Webber residence," a voice on the other line said. I didn't recognize it as Angela's, so I assumed it was her mother's.

"Hi, I'm Bella Swan, a friend of Angela's. Is she available?" I inquired politely.

"One moment," the voice answered. Within a few seconds, I heard the receiver pick up.

"Hello?"

"Angela? It's Bella."

"Hey Bella, what's going on?"

I took a deep breath. Fingers crossed.

"What are you doing Friday?"

I held my breath, waiting for the answer.

"Nothing, why?"

I sighed with relief.

"Would you like to have a girls' night? Slumber party at my house?"

I bit my lip. Please, Angela, please. Help me out.

"Sure, Bella. That sounds like fun!"

Praise the stars. Angela was a saint.

"Great! Thanks so much, I think this will be fun. Although, I have to be honest about this… don't get me wrong, I would love to spend Friday with you, but this time it's particularly important…"

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Angela had been completely understanding after I'd explained the Mike situation. She had actually started to guess what the story was before I finished it. She was wonderful.

I parked my truck in the parking lot and dropped out of the cab, careful not to slip on the ice as I landed. I shouldered my backpack, and made my way toward the school.

I saw Mike waiting leisurely outside the school, anxious as ever. Armed with an excuse, I headed for the doors. He peeled off the wall and quickly joined me at my side. I took a deep breath. Stay calm, and I could pull this off. I wasn't really lying.

"So so? Can you go? Or do you and your dad have plans?" Mike was _far_ too eager.

"Well, no…" I started casually. "But I got to talking to my dad and he reminded me that I had plans with Angela. We'd planned a girls' night at my place that night. You're welcome to come… dress up, make-overs, pedicures…" Mike blanched.

"Eh, I'll pass. Maybe we can do the movie thing another time?" I smiled and gave a weak half-nod, hoping he would accept it and not push the issue later. He held the door open for me, I smiled again and ducked inside out of the cold. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the flash of a silver car pulling into the parking lot.

Curse the man, why did my heart flutter so? Mike walked me to my first class, and then grudgingly left me. I settled in, and the day commenced.

First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth and Lunch flew by, like they always did. During lunch, I always had the knot in my stomach. I tried not to look at their table. I really did.

Angela patted my hand under the table. I looked over at her and gave her my first grateful smile all day. We finished lunch quietly; I dumped my barely-touched food and made my way to Biology. Mike didn't accompany me.

I settled into my seat, careful not to look at Cullen. He sat tensely beside me, but I swear he had a hint of a smile on his face. He said nothing to me, unsurprisingly, the whole hour. Typical.

After a terrible ordeal in gym class, I hiked out to my truck, trying not to slip on the ice, get rundown, or do something equally dangerous and painful accidentally. I made it to the cab, and I shoved my key into the door. Yanking it open, I climbed in and set my backpack on the floor.

As I placed my hand on the bench seat next to me to help slide in, that's went I felt it. Something sharp.

Quickly, I lifted my hand from where it was on my seat, and I glanced down. There, next to where I sat on the bench seat was a single, perfect, red rose. My fingers had caught one of the thorns.

Who had put it in my truck? The doors had been locked. I'd locked them when I'd gotten out this morning, and unlocked them just now. Whoever put this in my truck… either got the windows down – and then back up completely, unlocked the door and then relocked it, or found some other way inside my truck. Who? How? And most importantly, _why?_

I lifted the rose up carefully, placing my thumb and index finger where there were no thorns. It was absolutely perfect. I could find no flaws in it. The stem was the most perfect shade of green, the leaves were unmarred, and the petals were the deepest red. The color of blood. And they felt like the softest velvet. _Like Edward's voice,_ I thought.

Stupid. Why did everything have to remind me of him? It was ridiculous. Someone like him would never be interested in me. Never. Right?

I set the rose delicately across the dashboard. I would find a vase for it when I got home. I cranked the truck and put it into reverse before driving home slowly in the cold, deep in thought.


	2. Occam's Razor

Hooray! You wanted more, so here it is! (Someone asked about the Cullen thing; Bella and Edward aren't a couple yet. She occasionally referred to him as 'Cullen' before they were together in Twilight) Thank you beta, my lovely Bloodsucking leech! I hope you feel better, lovely. It's time for the next edition of Bella's secret admirer! Yay!

**Occam's Razor**: _All things being equal, the simplest solution is often the right one._ Occam's Razor deals with eliminating unnecessary information. When you strip away all the could-be's, might've-been's and look strictly at the facts that are important, the easiest conclusion is the right one. Why razor? I don't know. It's just a fun little principle.

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_One Dozen Roses_, Part Two: Occam's Razor

I pulled into the driveway and shut off the truck. Amidst the free-falling snowflakes, I dropped from the cab and onto the ground. I held onto the door with one hand until I steadied my feet on the ground carefully. Once I was stable, I reached for my bag and shouldered it, and then carefully grasped my mysterious rose gently by the stem. I used my hip to swing the truck door closed, and I carefully made my way to the truck.

I opened the front door, and walked inside. Hopping up the stairs, I set my backpack down in my bedroom before heading back into the kitchen. Charlie had no reason to keep a vase; he wasn't much of a flower person. I just needed to find something to hold water and the rose. A cup, a glass, anything.

I found an old juice glass; it was small in radius and reasonably tall in height. I filled it half-full with water, then set the rose inside. I couldn't help but smile, it was so lovely, so… perfect.

I carried the glass up to my room and set it on the edge of my desk. It could get indirect sunlight there, and I could see it from just about anywhere in the room. I smiled again, sitting down on my bed to look at it.

Then another thought hit me. _Where did it come from?_ I knew I had locked the cab doors. So either the person who put the rose in my truck had unlocked the doors and relocked them. I had the only key, to my knowledge. I lay back on my bed to contemplate it further.

So, no doors. How else could the rose have gotten inside? The windows? The person would've had to have rolled a window down, put the rose in, and then rolled the window back up. Possible? Not very.

How else could it have happened then? How did that one thing go? Occam's Razor? _All things being equal, the simplest solution is often the correct one._ But what was the simplest solution? Was someone breaking into my car, putting a rose inside, and then relocking the door really the simplest? It didn't seem so.

But for the time, I had no other explanation. Therefore, by elimination, it was the simplest. Right? It still left one question unanswered.

Who? Who had done that? Who would go through all that trouble for me? Who _could_ go through that for me? It certainly seemed impossible.

It didn't seem like something Mike Newton would do. He would've left a note; he had made it blatantly obvious that he wanted to go to the movies. So who would've left me a rose… but not a note?

My heart stopped. It was a practical joke. It wasn't a secret admirer at all. It couldn't be.

I sighed. That made more sense. Occam's Razor. The simplest was the right one. No one really wanted to give me a rose. It was a joke. I smiled grimly at the rose on my desk. At least it was pretty.

Well, problem solved. I hopped up from my bed and headed downstairs to start dinner. At least order was restored, everything in its proper place, including me.

Dinner passed quietly and I headed upstairs to get ready for bed. I grabbed my pajamas and my bathroom bag.

After starting up the hot water, I stripped out of my clothes. The hot water felt wonderful. For a brief few moments, I forgot that I'd been the target of a somewhat cruel practical joke.

It had been a little exciting thinking that perhaps I had a secret admirer. Something I was unused to. It had been thrilling to try and figure out who had left it and how. Now, it didn't matter.

I scrubbed my fingers through my hair a little stronger than I should have. Rinsing the strawberry shampoo, I added the conditioner, rinsed, and then washed my body. After that, I just stood under the hot water, letting it massage my back and slowly undo the tension in my spine.

At some point, the steam in the bathroom made it nearly impossible to breathe, so it was at this moment I chose to take leave of the shower. I shut off the water, dried off, and crawled into my pajamas. After running the towel through my hair a couple of times and tossing it into the hamper, I walked back to my bedroom.

And screamed.

Charlie came running.

"Bella?" He called from the base of the stairs. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, Dad… sorry, no one's been in the house, right?"

"Yeah… why?" Charlie sounded more confused than I was.

"No reason, it's okay. Really. Just had a momentary lapse," I explained, sounding calmer than I felt.

"Okay, if you need anything, just holler," he said before retreating back to the game. I swallowed nervously and walked into my bedroom, looking around the room.

There on the pillow of my neatly made bed rested another red rose. A perfect match to the perfect flower in the juice glass. I made a mental note to get a real vase for it – the juice glass was just sad and pathetic for such a lovely rose.

I looked around my room closely, no one seemed to be there, nothing else was disturbed. I opened my closet quickly, expecting someone to fall out onto the floor. Empty.

I went to the window and braced myself as I started to open it. The window opened as if it had been greased recently, nearly causing me to tumble out of it. Strange. I peered around into the evening, but there were no signs of any human.

_Okay Occam, explain __**this**_, I thought grimly.

After clearing the room kind of like a police officer – checking all the nooks and crannies for a potential suspect: under the bed, behind the door – I walked over to my bed and sat down, staring at the otherwise innocent flower on my pillow. My heart started to stammer again.

_Whoever broke into your truck had also broken into your room,_ I reminded myself. I shivered at the thought. What if it ended up being some psycho stalker that was going to murder me in my sleep? I didn't know whether to be flattered or terrified of this new turn of events. No prank would go this far. My heart stuttered with the excitement, even if there was some danger to it.

I set the second rose in the juice glass next to the other. They were nearly identical; perfect in every way, the deepest shade of red and the starkest shade of green.

Mike knew where I lived. Maybe I shouldn't rule him out as a suspect just yet. Tyler knew where I lived too. So did… well, everyone. Maybe that theory wasn't a good idea.

"Bella?"

I glanced up to see a worried Charlie standing in the door.

"Yeah, Dad?"

"Are you okay? Your hands are shaking," he said. I looked down to my hands, and they were, in fact, trembling. I swallowed.

"It's okay. Just thinking," I explained casually.

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

The question was so abrupt and to-the-point that it startled me. I just stared at him before answering.

"No, why?" I asked. Charlie pointed to the roses on my desk.

"Where did you get those?" Ah, the roses. I sighed.

"Well, I don't really know. Someone from school left them for me without any kind of note," I explained. It was partially true. One of them had been left at school. I didn't really want to explain that another was left in my bedroom. No need to worry Charlie.

"Ah, a secret admirer, eh? You kids," he laughed, shaking his head, much to my chagrin.

"Right," I muttered.

"Trying to figure it out?" I nodded.

"Well, if you want, I can hire a P.I. to look into it. We can fingerprint the roses and match it to our database if you really want to know," he said, grinning. There was a twinkle in his eye as he winked. "Get some sleep, Bells. You'll figure it out tomorrow. You're a bright girl. A pretty one too, if I do say so myself," he said before he turned and left.

I just sat still as stone blushing brightly in the middle of my room. A detective? That would be a little extreme for a red rose, wouldn't it? But then again, whoever it was had snuck into and out of my bedroom without Charlie knowing.

Unless Charlie was in on it. Charlie had to be. That means it had to be someone Charlie approved of. This was looking more and more like Mike Newton by the minute.

As much as the thought of a secret admirer thrilled me, I dreaded the thought that it was Mike Newton. Mike just didn't seem… romantic enough to pull this sort of thing off. It would have to be someone charming, someone thoughtful and intelligent. Dark and mysterious. And able to break into both my truck and bedroom.

Someone like… Edward Cullen.

Bad idea. My heart was frantic with the thought as a blush rushed to my cheeks. Why in the world would Edward Cullen give me a rose? That was the stupidest idea I'd had so far. He wouldn't even speak to me in class. He had no reason to do such a thing. And yet he was probably the one I wished most for it to be.

But he wasn't. He wasn't the simplest solution. Mike Newton was. I shuddered slightly at the thought. Charlie approved of him, I wasn't sure about the truck thing but he probably could've picked his way into it, and then locked the door on his exit.

Except one small problem. Mike was in both sixth and seventh hour with me. He would've had to put it in my truck fifth hour or earlier. I didn't remember the rose being that cold. Maybe it was.

I groaned and flopped over onto my bed.

"Stupid rose, stupid Occam, stupid, stupid, stupid Singles' Awareness Day," I muttered. I didn't even _like_ Valentine's Day. What I did like was pretending it didn't exist. But now I had to deal with it. The idea was exciting, but the stress was going to eat me alive.

I got up and turned off the light before crawling back into bed and snuggled under the covers. I had a feeling this was going to be a long week. Too bad it was only Tuesday.


	3. Stalker!

Hello all! I have to confess, I was disappointed in myself for a long while. I thought maybe I was losing my touch with my other stories. But the response to this one (which could, very easily, become my favorite) was so encouraging! I was planning to finish _Conscience_ and _Cupcakes II_ and call it quits, work on some original fiction of mine, but then I got this idea and loved it, and so did so many other people. I think I may be sticking around for quite a while now. You're stuck with me! Haha!

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**Random factoid**: Occam, or Ockham, comes from a monk, William of Ockham. (Today we spell it differently) He was the person that Sean Connery's character, William, was based off of in the movie rendition of Eco's novel, _The Name Of The Rose_. 

William of Ockahm was one of those radical-thinking monks. You know, the ones that didn't think JUST about religious texts, but about how science applied to it, too. He was a pretty cool dude. There's a wikipedia page on it if you really care. I'm not sure where Razor came from, but that's who Will was. Yay!

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Thanks much to Bloodsucking Leech, my wonderful beta. I hope you feel better, lovely! On with the show!

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_One Dozen Roses_

Part 3: Stalker

Wednesday had been purgatory. Pure Hell in all senses of the word except for the heat that one would normally attribute to it. It was freezing. That didn't help my mood at all.

I'd hiked out to my truck, half expecting there to be another rose somewhere. No dice. The day passed normally, only my classes had been terrible. Maybe all the teachers got together last night and conspired to pick on me. Without fail, they seemed to always call on me when my hand wasn't up. And my answers had all been wrong.

I stormed into the cafeteria, ready to deck the next hapless person to cross me today. I patience was running dangerously short.

"Hey, Bella!" Oh, crap. I turned to look as Eric sidled up to me. I tried to smile at his awkwardness.

"Hi Eric," I said casually, still heading toward the table in the lunchroom. Eric kept pace with me.

"I was wondering what you were doing Friday…" Not this again! Thank goodness for Angela.

"Oh, I'm sorry Eric. I made plans with Angela. We're having a girls' night," I said, trying to smile. Eric's hopeful face fell. I tried not to let myself be guilt tripped by it, but I couldn't help it. I patted his shoulder.

"S'okay," he said. "See ya." He turned and walked away. I grimaced. I needed to work on this tact thing. I sighed, and looked up at the ceiling. What more could possibly happen to me today?

I turned and headed through the lunch line, choosing a sandwich and an apple with a soda. I made my way through the crowd of people, looking for my lunch group. Then I found them.

I noticed most of our lunch group was sitting down at the table already. Something wasn't right. Everyone had their heads together, whispering, and on occasion glancing to me. Crap. What had I done now?

Tentatively I approached the table. As I did, their voices quieted completely, and eventually every pair of eyes focused on me expectantly. Angela was averting her eyes, a smile playing at her lips. Jessica looked like she was about to attack me for something. Mike looked upset. Then I saw why.

There was another red rose. It was laying at my place at the table. Jessica was first to break the awkward silence.

"So? Who is he, Bella? I didn't know you were seeing anyone."

"Neither did I," I muttered.

"Aren't you going to sit down? You look afraid of it," Jessica said. In truth, I was, a little bit. But no one here needed to know why. I laughed softly – I think my voice broke – and carefully sat down before picking it up between my fingers carefully.

"So… who put it here?" I said casually, looking around the table, hoping someone would decide to fess up. This was getting tiring.

"That's just it, though!" Jess exclaimed. "No one here did! It was waiting for you when we all got here." I set the rose down carefully.

"Then how do you know it was for me, and wasn't left here?" I asked casually. I didn't believe my own words – not with two other identical roses sitting in water in my bedroom. The rose _was_ for me. But if it were from Mike, he was playing dumb. Quite well, actually.

"Well, there isn't anyone in here before us. And if it was left from yesterday, then the janitor would've picked it up. Don't you see, Bella? It's for _you_!" She clapped and giggled, clearly pleased with the situation. I felt positively nauseous.

I set the rose down carefully and opened my soda up in an attempt to be casual.

"Did you see who left it?" I said over the top of the can, taking another drink to try and calm the butterflies in my stomach. Jessica just stared at me.

"You mean you don't know who it's from?"

I shook my head. "No idea."

"Bella has a secret admirer!" She cried, even more excited. I choked on my soda. Mike patted my back helpfully. I was too busy glaring at Jessica to pay attention to him.

"That is _not_ funny!"

"Who said anything about being funny? I think it's fabulous! Just think about it! Somewhere, in these walls, someone is interested in you but is far too shy to tell you. He wanted to show his affection in a sweet, romantic and mysterious way! Isn't it intriguing?" I just stared at Jessica.

"You're serious." It wasn't a question. She really was more excited about this than me.

"Of course I am! Love conquers all!"

"Jess. If anything, it's probably a prank," I explained, even though I was starting to doubt that myself. Only Lauren would hate me enough to do something like that… my stomach twisted. She just might.

"Hardly," Jess said. I picked up the rose and looked at it quietly, then waved the blood-red blossom at her, then at each person at the table.

"So honestly, on pain of death, no one here has any idea who left this?" As I pointed the rose at each person, they each shook their head. Except Angela. She shook her head, but she was smiling faintly. I wondered if she knew something. I'd ask her later. After all, I had all Friday with her.

I set the rose down delicately. So it wasn't Mike Newton. It couldn't be. He would've jumped at the chance to claim the roses for himself. My heart stammered slightly. The Edward possibility was still appealing to my masochistic heart. I sighed softly.

After staring at me for a little while, everyone returned to their food, still musing about whom my 'secret admirer' could be. I fumed. I realized I was annoyed at whoever it was because it was throwing me in the spotlight. I glared at my sandwich, my butterfly-filled stomach suddenly not hungry anymore. I sipped my soda thoughtfully.

Quietly, Angela leaned over to me and whispered into my ear.

"Alice Cullen is staring at you." I blinked. Alice? Jessica had told me Edward had been staring the first day I was here. And then the van incident and he hadn't looked at me since.

Casually I looked over to the Cullens' table, trying to remember which one was Alice. The tiny, dark-haired pixie girl was staring at me. That one must be Alice. It was neither friendly nor unfriendly, but startling. None of the others had ever paid attention to me.

Her eyes narrowed slightly. My heart stuttered faintly as she turned to face her table. It almost looked like a faint smile was playing at her lips. I glanced over all the others. Edward's head was down, but his shoulders were shaking, like he was laughing. The tall blond one was looking perplexed, but unmoving. The beautiful blonde girl looked perpetually angry, and the big brawny one was staring at Alice. Without warning, he swiveled his gaze to lock on mine.

I'll admit, I was terrified. My heart spluttered. He raised an eyebrow, and for the first time, his lips cracked into a half smile. Quickly, he turned back to Alice and his lips moved quickly as if he were speaking something.

I looked back to the table and swallowed heavily. Were they talking about me? I was blushing bright red. Maybe one of them really _did_ have something to do with the roses. Or maybe I was just paranoid. My heart was racing so fast that even the soda didn't seem appetizing anymore. Quietly, I pushed it away.

"Not eating?" I looked up at Jessica. She was studying my flushed expression, wild, panicked eyes and untouched food.

"No, not hungry," I mumbled. Angela smiled reassuringly at me. Lunch was almost over and I stood up. Numbly, I walked to the trashcan and dumped my remaining food. I headed back to the table and paused, looking at Angela. I smiled weakly.

"I'm gonna go to class now, see ya," I said, shouldering my bad and turning away.

"Wait! Don't forget the rose," Angela called. I turned to face her. She held out the rose to me. After a moment of hesitance, I took the flower from her and smiled.

"Thanks," I said. She nodded again and waved.

It was the first time I'd beaten Edward to biology in a long time. I settled into my chair comfortably, set the rose out of the way on the desk and took out my notebook.

I heard the chair move next to me and the sound of a book being placed on the table. I didn't need to look up to know Edward Cullen had decided to join the class.

Neither of us spoke. I didn't even bother to look up until Mr. Banner walked into the class.

He said nothing to me the entire hour, though when I looked up at him once, I caught him staring at the rose on my desk. He quickly looked away. The bell rang, he gathered his things and slipped quickly from the classroom as usual.

I made my way to gym class, Mike tagging along beside me the whole way there, glaring jealously at the rose.

"So are roses your favorite then?" He asked. I sighed.

"I don't know, I suppose it depends," I responded. Different flowers were perfect at different times. Mike didn't seem to understand. He shrugged indifferently and we walked quietly to gym.

Gym has been just as terrible as everything else. I managed to escape the tetherballs unscathed, but I injured two others.

After retreating to the shelter of the girls' locker room, I peeled off my uniform shirt and shorts. Reaching for my jeans, I froze. On top of my folded clothes rested _two_ roses resting in a crossed pattern. Next to the pile was the rose from the lunchroom, right where I'd left it, untouched, like everything else.

"Uh, Bella? You wanna put your pants on?" One of the girls called from across the locker room. Blushing, I casually set the two roses aside and redressed myself. No one asked any questions.

Either a boy had entered the locker room and put the two roses there, or a girl had done it. Now, the real question was, had a boy gone through such trouble for me? Unlikely. Had a girl done it for a guy? Possibly. Someone was in on this. Or, had a girl done this as a joke? It was an elaborate prank if it were. Only Lauren would have that sort of malice to my knowledge. But would she care enough to go this far?

I carried the three roses out to my truck and unlocked the cab, climbing inside. I drove home quietly, thinking about the three roses laying innocently next to me on the seat.

Like lightning, I bounded up the front stairs, inside the house, and up the stairs to my bedroom.

I _was_ going to place the three roses in the glass with the matching two roses. I was, until I saw what the roses were in. They were sitting in an intricate cut-glass vase made for roses.

However, the vase was much too large for two roses. Numbly I set the other three in the beautiful vase. The five of them filled it almost halfway. As I stared at it, it seemed like the vase was a perfect fit for… well, twelve or so.

My heart thudded. Was this not going to end until I had one dozen roses from a very mysterious person? How would I tell Charlie? Maybe Charlie had given me the vase, and simply didn't know what size to get.

I decided to ask him when I got home. I headed downstairs to start dinner.

I hunted around, looking for the missing juice glass. No dice. Not in the sink. Not on the counter. Finally, I opened a cabinet and saw it sitting with the others.

Charlie might have bought me a vase for my roses. Charlie might have not known what size vase to get. But Charlie would've left the glass in the sink. _If_ he had even been home. I had left for school after he left for work, and I had arrived home before he did.

Whoever was giving me roses had given me a vase. He had been in my bedroom. That meant Charlie probably _wasn't_ involved. It also meant whoever had placed the vase in my room had also placed that second rose on my pillow.

My throat swelled up. It might have been flattering if it weren't quite so frightening. Someone had been in my bedroom. Twice! Five roses in two days.

What would be next?


	4. Petal Shower

Hi guys! I just have to say, I am _so_ excited and impressed by how many people seem to love my stuff. I'm just… so surprised. And excited! Sorry this one took me so long, I actually had this chapter all done within the day, it would've been on schedule, but I had to get the poem done. That took a while. Sorry about that! But here it is. And thank you to my lovely beta, Bloodsucking Leech! Loves!

* * *

_One Dozen Roses_

Part Four: Petal Shower

* * *

I rolled over to look at my alarm. Ugh. I didn't want to get up and go to school. I wanted to stay in bed and sleep some more. Especially since I heard rain outside. Rain, in February, meant ice. After the Crowley Incident, I didn't think Cullen would rescue me again. Stupid ice. 

I closed my eyes and lied in bed a few more minutes. The rain, however, wouldn't let me sleep anymore. I was waking up, whether I wanted to or not. The rain was what was waking me up, but it wasn't what kept me awake. I smelled something.

At first, I thought it was part of my dream. I had been wandering through a field of flowers, looking for something. But I had never found it. When I woke up, though, the scent of the flowers didn't go away. I smelled roses.

_Yeah, you have five of them on your desk. Of course you smell them,_ I thought. I sighed. I still had to figure that enigma out. The scent was stronger than normal, though. Normally, scent becomes less perceptive the longer it's around, even if it doesn't diminish in intensity. It smelled stronger now, even after being around the roses. Weird.

Groggily, I opened my eyes before bolting upright, completely awake.

Around me, red rose petals were sprinkled across my comforter. There were rose petals sprinkled around the floor, along the windowsill, on my desk and on my dresser. I stared. When did this happen?

I got to my feet and walked around the room slowly, looking at all the rose petals. Then I stepped in something cold. Looking down, I saw damp spots leading around the room. After studying them, I realized that whoever had entered my room had crawled in the window. He had also entered before the rain started, when there was only snow on the ground. Snow had stuck to his shoes - I assumed – and as he walked around my room dropping petals, some snow had fallen off, leaving footprints.

However, they were just unshaped blobs of dampness, no distinct shoeprints. I walked to the window and looked out – any footprints in the snow had been washed away with the rain. Damn rain.

I crawled back on my bed and studied the pseudo-footprints closely. It looked as though he had entered through the window, walked first past my bed, then by my desk, dresser and closet before sitting down in the rocking chair.

I stood up and walked over to the old chair and brushed my fingers across the wood. It was a strange feeling to know that the person who left me roses had been sitting in the chair last. My fingertips tingled slightly after touching it.

I turned and looked around the room in a trance-like state. Then my eyes fell on the clock.

"Shoot!" I was going to be late for school. Quickly, I threw off my pajamas and pulled on some jeans and a long sleeved shirt. After using the proper hygiene products, I ran a brush through my hair and bounded downstairs. Grabbing a piece of toast, I ran for the truck.

If I wasn't awake before, the cold, icy rain did the job. It startled me and I went slipping across the driveway. I threw myself into the truck and started it, then headed to school.

* * *

I guess I was more skittish than normal, Mike asked me if I were okay twice. Angela gave me a knowing look. I hardly paid attention in English – it was a good thing I was familiar with the book. I was able to answer the questions. Everything else breezed by. For every time one of my teachers had called on me yesterday, they decided to ignore me today. Fine with me. It left me time to think. 

I sat down at the lunch table with my apple and soda. Again, I wasn't feeling too hungry. Angela sat on my right, Jessica on my left, Mike next to her. I nibbled on the apple tentatively.

Angela leaned in and whispered in my ear. "Edward Cullen just got up and left the table." Before I could stop myself, my head shot up and looked over at the Cullen's table. Angela giggled at my side. "You really like him, don't you?" She asked. I sighed. There was no point in answering Angela – she was too perceptive. She already knew the answer.

I just sighed, and looked over at the vacant table. "I wonder where he went, though," she murmured softly. I shrugged. My heart was fluttering in my chest with the anticipation of sitting next to him in Biology, but outwardly I remained cool. Angela nibbled on her sandwich.

I checked the clock again, waiting for a time in which it would be acceptable to go to class. I didn't want to go rushing in like an idiot way too early. Finally, half the cafeteria had started to leave for their class and I thought that time was suitable to leave.

I got up and tossed my half-eaten apple into the trash and finished my soda, dropping the can in the trash as well. I shouldered my bag and headed to Biology. I expected Edward to be sitting in his seat. He wasn't.

When he had left the cafeteria, I had assumed he had gone to class. A bit disappointed, I approached the table. There, sitting at my place, was a box of chocolates and another rose. Next to it was a folded piece of paper.

Carefully, I set my backpack down and eased into the chair. I felt like I was in slow motion. My hands shook as I lifted up the folded piece of paper. My heart raced. Was it a note? I'd be able to identify who my mystery person was. Quivering with anticipation, I unfolded the note. Finally, I would be a little bit closer to figuring out who was-

_One Dozen Roses_

_Timeless perfection at its best_

_That naked Serenity hath undressed_

_A promise infolded in velvet prose,_

_The supple petal of the crimson rose_

_But a single stem alone is but a dream_

_As ephemeral as its very petals may deem_

_But roses in number far more than sole_

_Equate to meaning vastly untold_

_Each with a unique symbol true,_

_Not one less than ten and two._

_One stands for brazen, bolded wit,_

_For which the norm is unequipped._

_Another, a token of sweet virtue,_

_Blushing red for blushing true._

_A third, a token of beauty divine,_

_Like the blazing stars do shine._

_Compassion resonates within stem four,_

_And warmth the fifth does implore._

_The sixth holds the modesty allure,_

_Charming chastity to be sure._

I cursed softly under my breath. It was typed. I had no clue who had written it. The poem was pretty, although a bit enigmatic. It seemed as though part of it were missing. The title talked about twelve roses. The poem only talked about six of them. I glanced down to the rose on the desk. _Now I have six,_ I thought. Maybe the poem was unfinished.

Then… I was right? When I guessed twelve roses based on the size of the vase? My heart was racing and my hands were trembling. Maybe I would take Charlie up on that fingerprinting thing. This was starting to get ridiculous.

"Bella? Is there something you would like to share?" Mr. Banner had walked into the room, started class, noticed my confusion and walked over to my desk without my knowledge. I had been too absorbed in my mystery note, rose and box of chocolates, I hadn't noticed him standing over me, nor had I noticed when Edward had taken his seat next to mine.

"Uhm, no, no sorry Mr. Banner," I murmured, quickly folding the note and stuffing it in my backpack, blushing bright red. I put the rose and chocolates off to the side so they wouldn't get in the way.

"That's what I thought," Mr. Banner said as he turned away, walking back to the middle of the classroom to begin the lecture. The stone wall sitting next to me made a noise and I glanced to him. Edward had been looking at the rose and chocolates, but when I looked at him – glared, really - he looked away quickly, watching Mr. Banner. Studiously, I returned my attention to the front of the classroom as best I could.

* * *

Gym had passed easily enough. I had actually managed to not injure myself, nor anyone else. Mike had congratulated me. Then he had asked me about Saturday for dinner and a movie. Why couldn't he just be friends? Why did he always have to ruin a decent conversation? 

After fishtailing all the way home, I was finally climbing up the front stairs carefully, trying not to fall on my butt. Despite the paper I needed to finish, only one thing was on my mind: I had to clean up those petals in my bedroom before Charlie got home. Who knew what he would think.

I picked up a box about a cubic foot in volume and I headed up the stairs, rose, note and box of chocolate in tow. I added the sixth rose to the vase, poured a little more water into it, and set the box down nearby. Then I tossed the cardboard box into the center of the room.

I discovered very quickly that a broom on carpet was absolutely perfect for gathering the petals together. Once I was using the broom, it took me about twenty minutes to gather all the petals and put them in the box. I nudged the box under my bed, unable to throw the petals out just yet. I would keep them at least until I figured out who was sneaking into my bedroom.

Honestly, the idea of someone sneaking into my bedroom at night was scary. Terrifying. At first, anyway. Now it was almost exciting. Like Christmas time all over again. Maybe if I stayed up late like I did when I was six waiting for Santa Clause, I would see who he was. However, I had a feeling that my mystery person – I refused to think he was an admirer. That was just silly. Who would admire me? – would be even more elusive then Santa Clause. And sleep was far too important to wager when I knew the chances were slim to begin with.

I sat on my bed and admired the half dozen roses sitting near my bed. After a moment, I hopped up and headed downstairs into the kitchen to get a drink. I froze. There, on the counter, rested a seventh rose.

I sighed. My heart raced, but I wasn't afraid. I was excited. Clearly if my mystery man were a psychotic stalker, he'd been in my house at least thrice now. He could've easily killed me in my sleep; _or worse,_ I thought. He had never touched me, never disturbed me. I felt surprisingly safe around the man who repeatedly snuck into my house and truck that I had never seen.

I smiled faintly and picked up the seventh rose, twirling it between my fingers lightly.

"How long will this go on?" I mused quietly. After filling up a glass with water, I walked back up the stairs to place the seventh rose in the vase.

I tucked the verdant stem into the gorgeous cut glass vase. As I turned away from it, I laughed. It was a nervous, anxious, excited laugh, not one of joy. On my windowsill was an eighth rose.

I had never received two roses within five minutes of each other. I'd received two at once yesterday, but that was different. He was still here. Or, he was five minutes ago when I'd been cleaning the petals because he had to wait for me to leave the room to plant the second one. Maybe he was still here yet.

"Hello?" I called out, walking out of my room. I stood at the top if the stairs, listening for the slightest sound. There was none. The only sound was the thunderous roar of my heart pounding rapidly in my chest. Then I heard it. It was faint, but I heard it.

A faint _whisss _sound. By the time I was back in my room, the window stood open, the rose on the sill undisturbed. Peering outside, there was no one. No sound of a body hitting the ground, no sound of anyone running off. No sound at all.

Nothing made sense. He was like a ghost. I exhaled slowly and picked up the rose and set it in the vase with its identical brethren. I couldn't tell the first rose from the last one. They were all still perfect.

I lay back on my bed and unfolded the typed poem again. As if I could find secrets hidden within it, like it had all the answers. I folded it back up and set it aside, curling up on my bed. I was tired. Sleep was going to overtake me. I just hoped Charlie came to wake me up when he got home so I could start dinner. For now, though, my aching brain wanted a break. I would happily oblige.

I kicked off my shoes and shucked off my pants before wiggling under the blankets. Within minutes, I felt myself nodding off.

* * *

Thank you for reading! It's always exciting for me when people love my stuff. This one took longer because of the poem, but the next few parts should come out quicker, like the first few. Hopefully. Thanks for sticking with me, guys! As long as one person is willing to read my stuff, I'll keep writing it. Love you all!! 


	5. Closet

Hey hey lookit who's back! Surprised? Thought not. This one is shorter, sorry about that, but I have plans for the next one. Several of you think what Edward's doing is creepy. Is it really? I mean, he used to watch her as she slept. Is it too creepy? Or is it creepy-but-adorable-because-it's-Edward kind of creepy? Because personally, I would totally kill to have Edward in my bedroom with roses. Thank you, bloodsucking Leech! You keep me honest, my dear. Thank you for all you do.

* * *

_One Dozen Roses_

Part Five: Closet

* * *

I awakened to the sound of a door slamming. I stared at the ceiling for a moment. Time for school…? The orange light on the ceiling was strange. I turned my head to the side to look at the alarm clock. 5:34 P.M. That explained the orange light: the sunset.

The front door opened, then closed. I heard Charlie's footsteps across the floor and I sat up. The covers fell off of me and I rolled out of bed. I stood up, and remembered I'd kicked off my pants.

As soon as I stood up, there was a very loud _thud_ from inside my closet. I jumped, my heart racing. Perhaps it was stupid, but the first thing I did was grab my pants and pull them up. It never occurred to me that whoever was in my closet – if they wanted to hurt me – wouldn't care if I had pants on or not. But the idea of being caught without pants was too ridiculously mortifying.

Once decent, I slowly approached the cracked closet door. As I passed my desk, I paused. With a shaking hand, I picked up the slender, pointed letter opener, holding the silver makeshift weapon in my hand. I wouldn't stab the person if I knew them. If it turned out to be someone terrifying and he attacked me, at least I had some means of defending myself.

I paused in front of the door, my heart pounding in both my head and my chest. I held my breath for a moment, listening for any sound. All I could hear was my own pulse.

"Hello?" I tried to ask, but it came out as a choked whisper. "Come out," I said a little more determined, but just as weak. Still no sound. There had definitely been a noise inside my closet, and what sounded like someone uttering a curse. But there was no sound now, and no one had left the closet.

I wasn't sure what I was more nervous about: opening the door and finding someone in my room, or opening the door and finding who was probably the person who was giving me roses. I took a deep breath, trying to keep from shaking too much. My fingers were tight around the silver weapon, my knuckles so white my fingertips tingled. Finally, the anticipation and terror were too much and I jerked open the closet door, pointing my makeshift weapon into the closet, only to find…

Absolutely no one standing there. I blinked. My hand was shaking so bad, the pointed tip of the letter opener was moving in about a forty-five degree arc. I couldn't believe it. I knew someone had been – was still – inside my closet. I'd heard him!

I pushed aside some of my hanging garments to see if he were hiding behind him. I reached up onto the high shelf and felt around while looking through my shoes, looking for a pair that didn't belong to me that might be on a pair of feet. It was all mine. No sound, not even breathing. Frustrated, I stepped back and slammed the door closed.

Ugh. Why was this so difficult? Was I going crazy? I glared at the closed closet door for several minutes, listening intently.

"Bella?"

I jumped a foot in the air before wheeling around, placing a hand over my heart. Charlie was looking at me, confused and worried.

"Are you okay?" He asked. I nodded. "Bella, are you sure? You're as pale as a live worm in a bait bucket on the pier on a warm Saturday afternoon," he said. I stared at him and cracked a smile.

"Yeah, I'm okay. What do you want for dinner?"

"What's with the letter opener?" Charlie was persistent. And observant. Normally, Charlie hardly noticed what I was wearing, much less what I was holding. Now he was taking note of everything. I sighed and just waved it around absentmindedly, becoming calmer as time moved by.

"I was… checking… something… what would you like to eat tonight? I can cook some fish, if you want. How does that sound?" I was hoping that food would distract Charlie's unusual thoughtfulness. Like magic, his eyes lit up at the mention of fish.

"Can you do those little fried fillets you do? The ones with the special sauce?" Charlie looked like a kid at Christmas, his clear eyes twinkling. I couldn't help but laugh softly.

"Sure, Dad. I'll do the battered fillets tonight. Why don't you go check out the scores?" I suggested. Charlie eagerly agreed and headed back into the living room, my awkward plight forgotten.

I stayed in my room a little longer, glaring at the closed closet door. Surrendering, I tossed the letter opener onto my desk and followed Charlie downstairs. I had some fish fryin' to do.

* * *

I set the dishes into the sink and poured some soap on top of them. After scrubbing and drying them, I put the plates, glasses and silverware away. I wiped off the counter and the kitchen table before pushing the chairs under the table.

I paused in the kitchen to glance at Charlie in his chair, tuned into a basketball game. I had no idea who was playing. All I saw were many tall, sweaty men running up and down a court with far more coordination than I could ever hope to have. Shaking my head, I waved to him.

"I'm heading to bed, night Dad," I said. Charlie was fascinated with the TV. It took him a few seconds to look my way and realize what I'd said.

"Night, Bells."

I hiked up the stairs and walked into my room. It had become habit in the past couple days to look around my room for any sign of either a new rose or someone lurking in the shadows. Realizing that the coast was clear, I stripped down again and changed into my pajamas. I gathered my school things together for tomorrow, and sat down on my bed. Then I saw it. The closet door.

It was ajar.

I distinctly remembered shutting it completely before heading downstairs. Now it was slightly open. _As if someone had walked out,_ I thought dryly. Trying to tiptoe, I crept to the door. In one fluid motion, I yanked the door open.

Naturally, no one was standing inside. Had I expected anyone to? Perhaps. I hadn't been expecting to find a lovely red ribbon looped around the rod that my hangers hung from. One side of the satin ribbon was tied to the rod, the other side was tied around a rose, suspending it upside down.

My lips twitched slightly into a smile. Carefully I untied it and took it down, carrying it over to the vase. I set the rose inside and sat down on the edge of my bed and laid the ribbon next to the vase.

I stood up, walked to the closet and shut the door again. Turning off the lights, I crawled into bed. I snuggled under the covers, staring at the ceiling.

The sky was clear tonight – unusually so – and the moonlight filtering into my room was lighting up my comforter and the crevices in the ceiling. I rolled over onto my side and curled up, falling asleep.

* * *

Valentine's Day. The dreaded day. I was in my truck, driving for school. If I had my way, I would've stayed home today. Maybe it wouldn't be as bad as I thought. Valentine's Day had always been terrible in Phoenix. Perhaps Forks would be different. I hoped so.

Eric gave me the distinct impression that I was wrong, though. I pulled into a parking place, and Eric was hanging out by my truck. I kicked open the door, grabbed my backpack and dropped down onto the ground.

"Hey, Bella," he said casually. Shouldering my backpack, I glanced at him.

"Hi, Eric. What's up?" I asked politely.

"I just wanted to be the first to tell you Happy Valentine's Day," he said, holding out his hands. There, in his palms, was a small box of chocolates. I smiled awkwardly at him, taking it.

"Thank you, Eric. That's really sweet. But I need to get to class, or I'm going to be late." He nodded in understanding, beaming that I had accepted his token of affection. Ducking my head awkwardly, I moved across the parking lot quickly. I hoped that Eric would be the last I would see of dreaded Singles' Awareness Day.

I made it inside the building and headed for English. Settling into my seat, I sighed. So far, so good. I hid Eric's chocolates in my backpack before anyone saw them. Maybe, just maybe, today would be decent.

I had no idea how wrong I was.

* * *

Thanks so much! I'm just so shocked at how many people continue to enjoy this. Like, really. I don't know what else to do with myself other than keep writing. I suppose that's a good thing, no? 


	6. Broken Hearted

**Yay! Another one! Sorry this took so long. I wrote this while I waited for my flight at the airport. Hooray for traveling. I'm planning (so far; it changes from time to time) on one more part after this. So we're almost done. Hee. Oh, and… read this chapter with an open mind. Thanks much to my lovely beta, Bloodsucking Leech!**

_

* * *

One Dozen Roses_

Part Six: Broken Hearted

* * *

Valentine's Day had passed relatively uneventfully after the Eric incident. All my classes had gone by normally, except for Eric's box of Valentine's Candy in my backpack. Otherwise, I would've never guessed it was Valentine's Day. For me, anyway.

Girls were all over their boyfriends today. Kissing in the hallways, only to be broken up by the teachers waving rulers like maniacs. It was dangerous. That wasn't the bad part, though.

The worst part was the snow. Between second and third hour, apparently the skies had decided that it was going to be a White Valentine's Day. Not only did I have to dodge an _exceedingly_ anxious-looking Mike Newton all the time, I also had to deflect the mush balls.

I'd had a very close call sneaking into third hour and to my seat. Until then, my timing had been perfect. Mike had been unable to get a word in. However, on my way to third hour, he'd cornered me. If the teacher hadn't come in and ordered him to his seat, I might've had to deal with it. By the end of the hour, I was able to hop up and flee the classroom. Fourth hour, I was free from Mike. Ironically, it was fourth hour that my luck ran out.

"Bella!" I tried to stifle the groan that fell from my lips as much as possible. Plastering on an as-pleasant-as-possible smile, I turned to face Tyler. He was grinning ear to ear, both of his hands behind his back.

"Hi, Tyler," I said warily, trying not to eye his hidden hands suspiciously.

"I've got something for you," he said slyly. "Happy Valentine's Day!" He thrust both his hands forward toward me at that instant, catching me off guard. In his hands was a small, but elegant, bouquet of red roses. Three of them, tied together with a red silk ribbon. Time stood still. I swear I heard my heart begin to crack.

I just stared. The earth fell out from underneath me. There were three. If I counted those, that made one dozen. Was _Tyler_ my stalker? The idea of Tyler in my house, my bedroom, my _closet_ made me cringe.

"A-are those for me?" I stuttered stupidly. Please say no. Please, _please_ say no.

"Of course they are. I've been trying to give these to you all day but you seemed to keep disappearing." For good reason.

"Tyler, that's so thoughtful of you. Thank you, I really don't know what to say," I explained, a little breathless. Please, Tyler, just go away. I was about to cry, and I certainly didn't want to do it in front of him.

He just beamed like an idiot, obviously unaware of my inner confusion. I smiled. "I really should get to class now," I said quietly. I was going to be late to fourth hour. He nodded, clearly pleased with himself as I turned away. I could feel the tears prickling at the corners of my eyes.

What had I been expecting? Edward Cullen? I almost laughed out loud at the thought. I couldn't quite tell whether the tears were due to anger at Tyler for breaking into my house - and truck, I added mentally – or utter disappointment. As long as that slight glimmer of hope that it had been Edward prevailed in the mystery of it all, it had been exciting. Now it was depressing. Tyler Crowley. Who'd have thought? I would have guessed it to be Mike Newton. But not _Tyler_. Tyler! It was so… so…

Anticlimactic. Roses, candy, mystery notes… it had all been so ridiculously enchanting, mysterious, even. Now it was just silly.

I realized tears were flowing down my cheeks and I was sniffling. I couldn't go to class like this. Maybe… maybe just this once, it would be okay to skip. Tyler shared that class with me. I couldn't go in like this. I glanced over my shoulder and saw him walking toward me.

Quickly, I moved around the corner and pressed my back against the wall. This hallway was rather deserted because lunch wasn't for another hour. I closed my eyes tightly, sending another wave of tears rolling down my cheeks. Angrily, I reached up to wipe them away, holding the roses to my chest. I had to fight the urge to rip the petals out and destroy them.

Tyler passed by, practically skipping. Then I saw _him_. Edward Cullen was staring after Tyler, his eyes black as coal. I'd never seen him look so angry. Okay, maybe I had. That first day. Every muscle in his body looked as though it wanted to spring and pounce on Tyler and tear him to shreds.

The beautiful blond boy walked up beside him. Neither seemed to exchange words, but Edward seemed to relax. He still looked angry, but his posture relaxed, as if he had no choice. The blond one – was he Emmett? Or was it Jasper? I couldn't remember – then put his hand on Edward's shoulder. Edward shrugged it off and nodded to him. They started to walk off together, and as they passed by me, Edward looked in my direction.

His face was incredible. Beautiful as always. His lips were still tight with some unspoken anger about something. His eyes looked… strange. They were dark, but they weren't angry. They looked… almost apologetic. They also appeared as though he had something he wanted to say, but couldn't.

I quickly wiped my eyes again. His look lasted but a second, but for me it was like time froze when our eyes locked. Then he and his equally beautiful companion were gliding down the hallway in deep, quiet conversation. Maybe I should skip Biology, too. I wasn't sure I could sit next to him. Stupid Valentine's Day. Stupid, stupid, stupid. What a stupid holiday, anyway. Who had thought of it?

I peeked down the hallway as the bell rang for fourth hour. I was officially late. Walking in now and walking in twenty minutes from now would make no difference. Might as well make myself presentable.

The coast was clear. I darted down the hallway, heading for the girls' bathroom. Slipping inside, I stepped in front of the sink and splashed cold water on my face. Taking a paper towel, I dampened it with the coldest water the spigot would produce. Then I dabbed my puffy red eyes with it.

The change was noticeable. I could almost see as the red fade away to my normal, pale skin color. I re-wetted the paper towel, and re-dabbed, then dried. I still looked like crap, but my eyes were no longer bloodshot and red anymore. I stepped to a stall and took a piece of toilet paper to blow my nose.

I _looked_ better, anyway, but I felt terrible. Border lined hysterical. Of course I'd never been sure that it had been Edward. But I had hoped, of course. But he hated me. Why? I didn't know. He didn't even tell me why. It wasn't fair. Was I too unattractive to be seen associating with someone so beautiful? Maybe. But he had still talked to me that day after he'd vanished for a week. He'd talked like it was the first day of school and nothing strange had happened between us.

And then I'd nearly gotten squished. And he'd saved my life – somehow. I still couldn't figure that out. And now he wouldn't talk to me. None of it made any sense at all. If he hated me, why had he bothered to save me in the first place? If he had hated me – and for some reason, run away from me because of it – why would he come back and act like we were socially amicable?

Edward Cullen was an enigma. Perhaps that was why he fascinated me so. He was so unpredictable. All the boys in Phoenix had behaved exactly as I anticipated them to. All the boys here also behaved as predicted (although the fact that any of them would be desperate enough to be attracted to me had been beyond my foresight initially.)

Thinking of Edward – and the stupid roses that were still clutched in my hands – had made my eyes water again. With an aggravated sigh, I started my dabbing process all over again. Stupid boys, stupid flowers, stupid Forks.

* * *

It had taken me thirty minutes to get myself under control after Tyler had blindsided me with the roses. After setting them in my locker, I had snuck into fourth hour. I was lectured, and I explained that I had to go out to my truck and get a book I'd forgotten, and in the process fallen. No one seemed to think I was lying. No surprises.

Luckily, he hadn't made a big deal about it, so class resumed quickly. I sat through the remaining twenty minutes before gathering my things and scooting out to lunch with the bell.

I was the first one at the table. I set my things down and folded my arms across the top of the table and buried my face in them. I let my hair fall around me, protecting me from being seen by anyone else. Eventually, I heard Jessica's voice.

"Bella! I heard Tyler asked you out!" He did? This day just wasn't going to get any better, was it? Groggily, I lifted my head to look at her. She was positively ecstatic.

"He did not," I said. I glanced around; the lunch room was filling up quickly. Invariably, I ended up looking to the Cullens' table. Four were present. Edward was M.I.A. I had worse problems at the moment, however.

"He said he did, and he said you said yes!" I sighed, and smacked my forehead against the table repetitively. He was determined, wasn't he?

"No, he just gave me… some flowers," I finished lamely. Jessica looked disappointed. I decided to change the subject. The great thing about Jessica was she was rather predictable. "What have you gotten today?"

Instantly, her face lit up like a beacon. Predictable, remember? She was off rattling about what boys had fawned for her today, which ones she wished would fawn for her yet, including Mike. That worried me. I hope that didn't mean he was planning anything for me. That boy needed to get a clue. He should be showering Jessica with gifts.

"Not eating?" Angela's quiet voice popped up from beside me.

"Not today, I'm so not hungry," I replied glumly. She smiled, as if she understood what the problem was without explanation.

"Remember, we have plans tonight," she grinned.

"Oh yeah. What time are you coming over?"

"What time would you like me to?"

"Anytime after like, four. If you want, you could come later, and we could make it a sleepover," I suggested. Angela nodded.

"I like that idea. So… seven?"

"Yeah. See you after dinner then," I said.

I glanced to the large clock mounted on the wall. It seemed to have barely moved. I put my head back down on the table and prepared to endure the rest of the day. I couldn't skip Biology. Not after the stunt I pulled fourth hour.

Finally, after what seemed like eternity, I heard the lunch bell ring. Grudgingly, I got up and trudged to fifth hour.

He was already seated, still as ever, barely breathing, if at all. I carefully took my seat next to him. Like clockwork, Mike managed to corner me. Why? Why did he have to find me now? Why couldn't he just let me be?

"Bella!" He said cheerfully, practically sitting on my desk. "Here, I've been trying to give this to you all day." Before I could respond, he said a large box of chocolate hearts on my desk. Why did I feel nauseous?

"Bella, are you okay?" Mike asked, concerned. "You don't look well."

"I'm fine, Mike. Thank you, for the… the chocolate. I just… may need to go lie down after school," I lied.

"I'll drive you home if you want. That way you won't get sick or-"

"I'm not _sick_," I snapped. Mike's eyebrows rose slightly.

"Is this about the Tyler thing?" The boy was brazen. My patience was running low.

"There is no Tyler thing," I explained curtly. Edward's frame trembled slightly next to me, like he was laughing quietly. Mike shot him a look before looking back to me.

"Did Cullen give you any candy?" My temper snapped.

"For crying out loud, Mike. What's your problem? No, Cullen did not give me candy. Why don't you ask him? He's sitting right there, in case you can't see him. Maybe he'll decide to talk to _you_," I snapped. Mike winced away visibly, and it seemed like Edward winced, too.

"Sorry, sorry, it's just that rumor has it you're Tyler's girlfriend and-"

"I am _not_ Tyler's girlfriend!" I all but screamed at him. "Go sit down. Now. Please."

"But class hasn't started yet and I want to talk to you," he whined.

"Mike. Please. Go… anywhere but here. Thank you for the chocolates, it's sweet of you to think of me, but it's none of your business who I am or am not with, or who has or has not given me any presents." I sighed deeply.

"Geeze, sorry," Mike murmured, and slunk away, casting one last look in Edward's direction.

I smacked my forehead against the table and just rested it there. Could this day possibly get any worse?

"Pop Quiz!" Mr. Banner announced, walking into the room.

I decided I should stop asking if it could get worse. Every time I did ask, it always did.

* * *

**Don't fret… things aren't always what they appear. Thanks so much for all your support so far! It's incredible! I just don't know what to do with myself (other than keep writing!)**


	7. Understanding

**Hooray! A nice little conclusion. But there is... a little more coming. Nothing fancy though. A big big big hug to my beta Bloodsucking Leech. She's amazing!! Without her, there would be no story. Or, it would take much longer to be released.**

**ETA: Footnote at bottom. (Don't read it until you're finished with the story!)**

* * *

Mercifully, the day had passed with out much more damage. The Biology quiz hadn't been bad. In fact, the only person to finish before me had been Edward. Mike had the sense to stay away from me the rest of the day, and that was a good thing. I think I was ready to attack the next hapless Y-chromosome to cross my path. 

Gym had been unusually uneventful. I was actually starting to get the hang of ducking out of the way of the tetherball. Too bad it was the last day. Next Monday, we were starting softball. I was _so_ dead.

I drove straight home, dejectedly. I had made such a big deal out of everything. I had thought maybe… no, I wouldn't permit myself to think those forbidden thoughts again.

I pulled into the driveway and shut off the truck. Grabbing my backpack and the roses and candy, I hopped out of my truck and headed for my bedroom. The whole time I hiked up the stairs, I was growing angrier and angrier. By the time I got to my bedroom, I knew what I was going to do.

I marched over to where that stupid vase was, and I shoved the three remaining roses into the vase. One dozen freaking roses. I reached for the vase, planning to grab it and throw the whole thing away. I wanted to break it on the ground first. I wanted to watch it shatter. But I never touched the glass.

My hands froze in front of it as a realization slowly sunk in. One: the ribbon I had found wrapped around the ninth rose I had received last night in my closet wasn't folded by the vase anymore, it was tied around the neck in a perfect, symmetrical bow. Second: The three roses Tyler had given me were very lovely. But they looked hideous in comparison to the nine others. The first nine I had received stood out in stark contrast, shadowing over the others.

It was as if the first nine were better, more eternal, than the others. The other three were mere mortals in comparison. Like angels and mortals. I sat down slowly on the edge of my bed.

Was it possible then, that Tyler had just happened to complete my dozen without realizing it and the original nine were from someone else? I didn't allow myself to think his name in fear of breaking my own heart again. Tyler's roses were certainly different. I felt hope building in my chest as I took the other three out and laid them on the counter beside the vase. Tyler's roses had no hope of achieving the same utter perfection that my mystery person's did. It simply wasn't possible they had come from the same person.

My heart leapt into my throat at the thought Edward might have, in fact, given me the first nine. Stupid. Thinking that in the first place had hurt me. Maybe I was an emotional kamikaze.

Feeling distinctly more lighthearted, I headed downstairs to start dinner for Charlie and I. Later, I needed to clean my room before Angela arrived.

* * *

There was a knock on the door. Eagerly, I rushed to the door to answer it. There was Angela, bless her heart, waiting for me. I stepped back and held the door open for her, letting her step inside. I shut the door behind her before walking into the living room with her. She waved politely to Charlie. 

"Good evening, Chief Swan," she said respectfully.

"Aw, call me Charlie. You're Webber, right? Good parents you've got," he nodded absentmindedly before turning back to the game. "You kids have fun." Charlie clearly didn't want any part in this girls' night. Fine with me.

"Want anything to drink?" I asked Angela, heading for the kitchen to grab a couple of sodas.

"Sure, whatever you're having is fine," she said. She and I hiked up the stairs with the two cans. I nudged open the door to my bedroom, and she walked in. On the floor, I'd set up a sleeping bag for her with extra pillows and blankets. She set her overnight bag down on top of it before looking around my room.

"Oh, Bella!" She cried. I turned to see what she was looking at. The vase. Of course. I'd set Tyler's roses in a smaller juice glass off to the side. Angela moved over to look at them closely.

"They aren't from the same person, are they?" She asked, glancing over her shoulder at me.

"No, I don't think so. I thought they were, until I put Tyler's in the vase with the others," I explained.

"No. They're not the same. That means your secret admirer is still a secret."

"And it means it's not Tyler," I added with relief.

"Could still be Mike," she pointed out. I wrinkled my nose at the thought. Angela giggled softly.

"What would you like to do tonight? Pedicures? Movie?" I asked. Angela looked interested.

"We could start with pedicures," she said. "And then play board games or something. Celebrate Singles' Awareness Day, no?" There was just something about Angela, something utterly affectionate and warm and inviting. I couldn't help but laugh with her about the whole thing despite how terrible my day had gone. Angela truly was a very good friend.

* * *

Movies, popcorn, pink toenail polish and a Ouija board later, I was in the bathroom getting ready to finally go to sleep. Charlie had crashed long ago, careful not to disturb the girly stuff going on upstairs. 

I hopped out of the shower and dried my hair, pulled on my pajamas and started brushing my teeth. Finishing, I headed downstairs to make sure everything was in order before bed. I heard the refrigerator door close. I walked into the kitchen and saw Angela getting another soda. She smiled and offered one to me. I nodded, and cut the lights.

Angela bounded up the stairs to my bedroom, and I followed in suit behind her but nearly crashed into her back when she halted without warning in my doorway.

"What is it?" I asked. Angela pointed.

"Was that there before?"

I followed her gaze. There, on my bed lay three roses. There was a folded piece of paper next to them.

"No," I said, my voice a hoarse whisper. Cautiously, I walked into the room and approached the roses on my pillow. They were identical to the nine perfect ones in my mystery admirer's vase.

"So he was in here?" Angela murmured softly, looking around. Angela asked the question like it was normal. I could only imagine what implications would be threaded deeply within the question if Jessica had asked instead.

"It would appear so."

"Has this happened before?" She asked.

"…yes." Angela was the only one I would tell. She would never tell a soul, and she wouldn't judge me for it. She said nothing more, only watched with intense eyes as the three roses fell among their brethren in the intricate glass vase.

Finally, the vase was complete. It was the perfect fit for the twelve roses, as if the final product had been planned from the beginning. The ribbon about the neck of the vase added the perfect accent to the otherwise glorious piece.

Then I turned my attention on the folded paper. Nervously, I picked it up. I fumbled a bit, trying to get the paper open. Finally it fell open and I gasped.

_One Dozen Roses_

_Timeless perfection at its best_

_That naked Serenity hath undressed_

_A promise infolded in velvet prose,_

_The supple petal of the crimson rose_

_But a single stem alone is but a dream_

_As ephemeral as its very petals may deem_

_But roses in number far more than sole_

_Equate to meaning vastly untold_

_Each with a unique symbol true,_

_Not one less than ten and two._

_One stands for brazen, bolded wit,_

_For which the norm is unequipped._

_Another, a token of sweet virtue,_

_Blushing red for blushing true._

_A third, a token of beauty divine,_

_Like the blazing stars do shine._

_Compassion resonates within stem four,_

_And warmth the fifth does implore._

_The sixth holds the modesty allure,_

_Charming chastity to be sure._

_For each stem seven and eight,_

_Innocence and Selflessness permeate._

_Nine holds the power of trust,_

_Sweet, naïve, but ever just._

_Within the tenth righteousness burns,_

_Strong, powerful, as a soul yearns._

_Intelligence is given to the rose eleven,_

_As wise and pure as an angel of heaven._

_Twelve then takes the greatest of all,_

_Unrelenting courage and failure to fall._

_Beneath attributes seemingly despaired,_

_Rest uncommon traits beyond compare._

_  
Forget not the sin of superficiality:_

_Nothing compares to naive honesty._

_Know naught that which appears to be,_

_See only that is._

_Take naught that seems to fit because,_

_And see it as it should be._

I stared. It was my poem, with a little something I couldn't quite understand at the bottom. What was most striking about the poem, however, was that it wasn't typed this time. It was handwritten. Not just any handwriting.

_Edward's_ handwriting.

My world froze. I stared at the note, rereading it over and over again. My heart was hammering, I could feel my palms beginning to sweat. Was this really true? Or some sick joke? I couldn't tell. Had it really been him the whole time?

I didn't dare hope.

* * *

The weekend had flown by in a complete daze after Friday night. Angela and I crawled into bed shortly after the rose incident. Monday had come back around. I was afraid. Very afraid. Would Edward say anything to me? Would he still ignore me? Would he deny it with repulsion? 

For the first time in a while, I dreaded going to Biology. So, naturally, the other hours flew by like it was my last day on Earth. Tyler was wise to avoid me today, Mike asked once how I was. Angela was just smiling to herself the whole time.

Finally, Biology rolled around. Stupid Biology. Stupid Edward, stupid roses. As usual, Edward was sitting in his chair, erect, tight and hardly moving. Quietly, I took my seat next to him, daring not to look at him. I could feel his eyes staring at me, though. After many seconds of this, I could take it no longer. I turned to look up at him, only to be caught up in his golden gaze. All or nothing. Now or never. I took a deep breath.

"Was it you?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper. Edward didn't answer right away, he just stared at me intensely. "Won't you talk to me?" I pleaded. His lips twitched slightly but stayed tightly together.

"There is nothing to say," he said, finally. His voice was strained.

"Was it you from the beginning?" I wasn't going to let this drop. He seemed to sense this.

"Do you like roses?" He asked. I as completely caught off guard and did the only thing I could do while staring into his eyes – answer honestly.

"Yes, very much. Even more, now, I'll admit." I blushed brightly realizing I'd said more than I intended to. A smile twitched at the corner of his lips.

"Then that is all that matters," he said with finality, looking back to the front of the classroom. His half-smile was still faint on his lips, however.

I felt giddy. I had a feeling Edward would go back to ignoring me for a while, but I felt strangely elated to know it had been him. The whole time, Edward Cullen had been stalking me, giving me roses. Why? I may never know. How he managed some of them? I could only imagine. Despite the confusion and questions, I felt strangely content.

Maybe Valentine's Day wasn't so bad, after all.

* * *

**You all have been wonderful! I loved writing this. I'm not quite finished with it yet, but nearly. Also, several of you asked about the poem. Yes, I did write it. That was why chapter four didn't come out as quickly as the other - I was trying to finish the poem. I wrote the whole thing at once and just used the first part then. I wasn't too gung-ho about claiming it as my own because I don't think I'm very good at poetry, and it was _incredibly_ difficult to try and, not only write a poem well, but write one that _Edward_ of all people would write. Anyway, thank you all so, so much!**


	8. Finale

**Update**: This story has been nominated on Twilight Awards! If you enjoy this, please go to www(dot)twilightawards(dot)this-paradise(dot)com and vote for me!

* * *

**Okay. A lot of you wanted to see something from Edward's perspective. I, too, wanted to write something from his eyes. However, after undertaking the entirety of **_**Cupcakes**_** from his perspective, I was very much daunted by the idea of doing the same thing. Especially since Edward makes everything go longer. **

**So here's the skinny. I've got important parts from each chapter posted. Single breaks signify a pause in the chapter, double breaks are a new chapter. (Shouldn't be too hard to figure out.)**

**This ended up being way longer than I anticipated. (I was thinking a few pages at most.) But it's not really long enough to make into chapters. So, I present to you, the massive Edward-Chapter a few of you have been asking me about.**

**I love my beta! Bloodsucking Leech, you're the best!!**

**And thus, on with the conclusion of **_**One Dozen Roses**_**.**

* * *

"Yes, very much. Even more, now, I'll admit."

She'd liked the roses. My heavy heart lifted at the thought. I had to forcefully repress the want to grin like a lovestruck schoolboy. What was wrong with me? Esme was wrong – I didn't care for the girl. Not in the way she cared for Carlisle, anyway. I found her interesting. I'd decided I liked it when she smiled. And she didn't smile often. That was why I had decided to even do anything at all on Valentine's Day.

Normally, I didn't even notice as it passed. It was such a trite thing, really. Absolutely nauseating when I could hear everyone's thoughts. See everyone's Valentine fantasies. Girls dreaming about a particular boy giving them flowers and reciting some prose, as if these boys – these children – understood the concepts of the gentlemanly behavior of my era. Laughable.

But before, there had never been anyone sitting next to me in Biology.

**

* * *

**

(From Part One:

_**Mystery Rose**_**)**

Hell. It was pure Hell. Every day, the same thing. Isabella, no, Bella, Swan would sit next to me in Biology. Every day she would roll her shoulders forward protectively and tilt her head away from me. Every day her scent would hit me fresh as she tossed her hair between us. And every day I recoiled back away to prevent myself from destroying everything.

It hadn't always been that way. The first day I nearly _had_ eaten the girl, and slain every innocent in the room who would have bore witness to it. We were past that now. I'd gotten the beast a bit more under control since then. We'd even become amicable.

Her parents were no longer together. Her mother had remarried a man named Phil who played baseball. Bella had chosen to exile herself from them to please her mother, even at her own sacrifice. This was still a mystery to me.

I had thought, initially, that I would be able to talk more and more with her. The more I spoke with her and treated her like a human, the easier it was not to view her as food. But that wasn't the only reason.

She was absolutely _fascinating._

If there existed a single entity into which all the aberrations of normality had been compounded, it was Bella Swan. Not only was her mind completely cut off from me, but she broke every rule I had cultivated about humans.

Fact: Humans were, by nature, incredibly shallow and self-centered.

Fact: Bella Swan was neither of these.

Fact: Humans were very short-sighted in long-term consequences and rarely considered the future.

Fact: Bella Swan held a far deeper intellectual viewpoint than any of her kind I'd ever seen before.

In fact, the only time I'd ever seen such levels of extraordinary intelligence and acceptance of the way things were was in my own kind, not hers. And this only applied to the things she _said._ I had no way of knowing how much deeper her thoughts went. Did she think things that were so complicated and profound that they couldn't be expressed in words?

It was maddening.

I'd only barely been able to get a glimpse of how deep she was before… …well. Before I nearly exposed all of us.

They were right – my family – in demanding that I stay away from her. I did understand, as difficult as it was. They had every right to ask that of me, and I owed them at least that much. If the possibility of exposure had only affected me, I would've ignored their demands. But it affected us all. I simply could not be responsible for that sort of careless abandon. For a human, nonetheless.

It had been exhausting. The day after the incident, she'd turned and looked at me, her eyes full of questions. I wanted to answer them. I'd never felt the urge to just… reveal everything about myself – everything – to anyone. And now I sat next to her, day after day, pretending she wasn't there.

Trying to, anyway. Since we'd stopped speaking, the beast inside of me was starting to rear its ugly head. Her scent was intoxicating. Slowly, I grew a little more used to it. Or perhaps, my body adjusted to the constant state of ache and compensated. Regardless, it became easier to sit silently next to Bella each day.

Monday. I only knew that because everyone around me hated Monday. Time to us was inconsequential. I rarely kept track of the days. I watched the board dully, only a few other students in the room. Gradually, the rest trickled in.

_DNA… Genetics is so much fun! I can't wait to show the kids these little builder kits I got for the RNA and DNA models. If we'd only had these when I'd been in school…_

I tuned out Mr. Banner as he rummaged around in the back room.

_I wonder if I'll ever get this homework finished._

_James might ask me out! I can't wait until seventh period to find out!_

_Maybe I could ask that new girl… Isabella. She's been here a few weeks and I still haven't introduced myself…_

_Crap! My nail! Ow ow!_

_What's Cullen staring at? I wish he were staring at me…_

I took a deep breath and tried to tune out the rest of the thoughts. As more students trickled in, their thoughts became blatantly more pronounced.

I knew Bella had entered because her scent was suddenly present. Within the minute, I heard her chair scoot. Her scent was magnified. Newton was hanging out around her desk, as usual. Wasn't it about time for him to go sit down? He and Bella were talking about something that I, for the most part, ignored. I'd learned that listening to Newton talk to Bella often made me want to punch him in the face. I really didn't care what he said to anyone else. I don't know why I was so protective of her… Because she seemed so much physically weaker than the others?

Esme didn't think so, but that wasn't important. What was important was the phrase Mike uttered that caught my attention.

"Don't you know? Everyone's been talking about it, Bella. It's Valentine's Day!"

And I did, in fact, want to punch him in the face. Especially when Bella's heart stopped beating completely before restarting in double-time. Every muscle in my body tenses as I restrained myself. Newton was an idiot.

"V-Valentine's Day? The one with all the hearts and candy?" Her voice was almost as irregular as her heartbeat, and I could smell her blush prominently.

"I didn't realize there was any other. So what do you think? Would you like to go see a movie with me? Dinner and a movie? My treat, of course."

_C'mon Bella, you know you want to! Say yes! Go out with me!_ Newton _was_ an idiot. Bella's heart was hammering. I wished I could catch a glimpse of her thoughts at this moment.

"Uh, That's really kind of you to ask me, Mike, but I'd have to check with Charlie first, you know. Make sure it's okay that I go out. I'll let you know tomorrow, okay?" Check with Charlie? Bella was a terrible liar.

"Okay, well, let me know, okay?" And Mike was seriously border-lined retarded to believe it. I tried not to smile.

As I casually watched Mike turn and head to his seat, I heard a thud next to me and felt a tremor through the table beneath my hands. Slowly, I looked over my shoulder. Bella's head was facedown on the table.

"Must be something in the water," I heard her murmur. I couldn't help but laugh softly. Mr. Banner strode into the room, and I fixed my gaze on him studiously, trying to ignore Bella's gaze boring into the side of my head.

"The messengers?" Mr. Banner asked. He scanned the room and his eyes fell on Bella. I doubt she'd heard him. "Bella?"

Her heart stuttered frantically and I could smell the panic and the blush radiating from her as she turned to face him.

"RNA," I murmured, breaking the treaty with myself not to speak with her. Technically, I wasn't speaking with her. I was just speaking something. And it happened to be the right answer to a question Bella happened to have been asked that she happened to have not heard. And she just happened to be in earshot of my answer. So I wasn't _really_ breaking any rules.

Bella answered, and Mr. Banner fumbled a bit awkwardly. I tried not to laugh. Of course he'd been anticipating her to not know the answer. I tried to focus on the lecture and push the Swan girl to the back of my mind.

Later, she'd remind me of her existence against my will. While sitting in a completely different classroom that happened to be in the same building as the gym – and unfortunately, the same hallway – Bella must have injured herself. Later, I'd heard Mike Newton's thoughts about her nosebleed. I'd cleared off of the grounds too quickly to hang around and find out at the time. Her blood was just too strong.

* * *

I'd gone home, inhaled fresh, cold, Bella's blood-free air before settling into my room to contemplate. I needed to address this Mike situation. I _shouldn't._ But I wanted to. I couldn't get her out of my mind. Every time I closed my eyes, I could see her. Sometimes it was that endearing, angry scowl, other times it was this brilliant, uplifting smile.

But what could I do? I couldn't go to her. It was against our new rules. And I certainly couldn't eat Mike Newton. He probably tasted repulsive, anyway.

No, I needed something else. Some way to get to her. But only her. No one in the school or in my family could find out. The former would be easy enough. Bella liked to stay out of the spotlight. I could entrust the entirety of that into her capable hands. The latter, however, would be ridiculously difficult. Especially with Alice-

_Edward, what are you planning? I keep getting visions. We should go talk. Somewhere where no one else can hear us. I'm on your side in this. Some of these look fun._

Speak of the devil, and she will appear.

* * *

It hadn't taken a whole lot of work. We planned it out. Alice and I were unique. Though she had Jasper, we connected in a way they didn't – as siblings, and as secret guarders. We were both despairingly different, even in our own world. I trusted Alice not to breathe a word to anyone else. If Alice were on my side, then it couldn't be too difficult.

The plan was simply classic, and classically simple: one dozen roses for Bella Swan. But waltzing up to her and handing her a bouquet would've hardly been inconspicuous. But if she were to receive them one by one… without seeing who they were from… Only Bella would be smart enough to figure it out.

She had already all but guessed what I was based only off of the incident with the van. She had been so ready to start throwing questions at me, fully aware of how crazy they sounded. The look of desperation in her eyes as she tried to convince herself she wasn't crazy was burned into my mind.

I wanted to talk with her. Perhaps not reveal everything, perhaps reveal it. But I wanted to understand her, at least. I, however, was forbidden to. And so, the roses would speak for me.

The first one had been relatively simple to plant. It really hadn't taken much work at all to open up her truck, lay the rose on the bench seat and relock it before shutting the door.

My only regret was that I couldn't stay nearby to see her reaction. I hoped it would be well-received. I wouldn't find out for a while, though.

For the first time, I was actually a little nervous.

**

* * *

**

(From Part Two: Occam's Razor)

The first rose was easy, but I had to get more creative. What fun would it be to perpetually receive a rose on the bench seat of a truck day after day? I decided rose number two would be delivered that night, and I sat on her roof until I heard her go downstairs for dinner.

Sure that she was busy, I dropped down and opened her window, slipping inside quietly. I looked around her room quickly, and saw the single red rose on her desk. Good. She hadn't thrown it out, at least.

But it was sitting in a glass. I'd have to fix that. Carefully, I placed the second rose on her pillow before moving to inspect the first in the glass. I smelled something. Leaning closer, I inhaled deeply.

Blood?

I carefully picked the rose out of the glass and looked at it closely. Sure enough, tiny droplets of Bella's blood – it could be no other, according to the smell – were caught on one of the thorns.

Brilliant. I should've thought to cut off the thorns before giving them to Bella. Only Bella would cut herself on a rose. I picked up the second rose and snapped the thorns off quickly, then did the same to the first. I almost felt as though I were child-proofing them. But really, I was only Bella-proofing them.

I set the first back in the glass and laid the second back on her pillow. I moved to the window, and paused halfway across the floor. I _could_ slip in her closet…

I didn't want to chance that. Opening the window, I returned to my place on the roof after closing it again. I couldn't hear her thoughts, but at least I could hear everything else.

The first thing I heard was her footsteps on the stairs. I listened closely, waiting for a gasp or something soft. Instead, I winced as she screamed.

_Shit shit shit, Where's my gun?_

"Bella? Are you okay?" Charlie's concerned thoughts and voice echoed into my mind. She dismissed him casually, and he acquiesced to it.

Bella wandered around her room, I heard doors opening and closing. Checking for a stalker, I presumed. Then Charlie came back, and this time, he came into her room.

Poor Bella. She stammered about the rose. I hadn't actually counted on Charlie finding it. Alice hadn't been kidding when she said it would get interesting. She protected my plan: at a price. She guarded her visions so I wouldn't see them to the best of her ability. She always thought it more interesting to let everyone else see it as it happened. _What the devil? _Charlie's thoughts broke through my own.

_Someone at school is givin' my baby girl flowers? Why I oughtta… she's not something to be bought over like that… when I find out the scamp who… no, Bella seems to like them. I'll be good, for her. Maybe this will do her some good. If he hurts her… I know just where I'll shove my shotgun…_

Although I winced at the last part, his words stuck with me. Bella seemed to like them. If my heart could beat, it would've been hammering. I fought back a grin. Charlie left the room and I heard Bella sink onto her mattress. There was a shuffling of clothing, and finally the light clicked out. I just sat on her roof, smiling at the moon.

* * *

**(From Part Three: Stalker!)**

Jasper knew. I had known he would be the hardest to keep anything from – second to Alice, of course. We were sitting quietly at the table and Jasper kept asking Alice questions. Questions concerning the emotions he was receiving from us. Alice kept averting him, making him more and more suspicious.

Finally, we had convinced him it was nothing. And then Alice had a vision. Naturally, she snapped her head to the source of the vision. Bella. And Jasper had cocked his head to the side in an 'I-Told-You' fashion. I smiled grimly back.

"Has she got a rose? Is that what the big deal is?" Rosalie's voice was short and quick. I tried to shrug noncommittally. I glanced down to my untouched food.

_Oh!_

I looked up at Jasper. His eyes suddenly held the light of understanding. Damn. He knew.

_That rose is from you, isn't it? Do you know how dangerous that is?_

I shot him a look.

_Okay, well. At least you do understand the potential consequences. Can we talk later?_

I shrugged indifferently, casually. But Emmett caught it.

"Edward's having a conversation with someone. Not fair," he whined. Dammit. Dammit, dammit. I couldn't let this go wrong. For Bella's sake, at least.

"I am not. I'm simply bored," I replied.

"As usual," Alice retorted in good nature. I chuckled softly, dropping my head down. Emmett looked perturbed.

"Someone has a secret admirer," Emmett said casually. Shit. Why did we keep going back to this? Jasper raised an eyebrow as he picked up on my faint traces of panic. "Look. The Swan girl. Everyone's squabbling about it."

I shrugged, trying not to look interested. Jasper's eyebrows then raised a little more before falling into a façade of calmness.

_Edward, there is more to this than there appears, isn't there?_

I didn't respond.

_I thought so._

"I like her," Emmett was saying. "Her heart does this fun little flip-flop when you stare at her for a long period of time."

"Emmett, anyone's heart would do that with _you_ staring at them," I snapped back.

He just grinned back.

"Really? You think so?" I sighed. At least we weren't talking about Bella anymore.

Good. I had time to plan out my next move. Gym.

**Break**

I didn't wait for Bella to pick up her roses in the locker room – plus it would've been highly suspicious to be loitering around the female showers.

Instead, I drove straight to Bella's house. In the passenger seat, I had a lovely cut-glass vase for her roses. I lifted the two from the glass and set them inside the vase. They were dwarfed by the size of it, but not for too much longer.

Instantly, I was down in her kitchen, washing the glass. After opening various cabinets, I found the one that held the glasses and set it inside.

I didn't linger, as much as I wanted to. I needed to be at the school when classes ended so none of the others would suspect anything. I drove back, picked them up, and headed straight home.

**Double Break**

**(From part four: Petal shower)**

The petals hadn't been too difficult. The hardest part had been sneaking out of the house with an armful of petals undetected. Sprinkling them around had been simple enough. The snow had been lovely, but as Alice had predicted, it had rained. This was good, because even vampires leave footprints in the snow.

I was able to completely ignore her that day, at least, appear to. Our paths didn't cross much before lunch. My classes dragged on and on, boring and rhetorical as ever. Then an idea struck me.

_Go. Type it now. Hurry,_ Alice told me. I abandoned my place at the table and moved as quickly as I could and still appear human. Within minutes, I'd settled myself down in the library and glanced around. No one was looking. And so, I began typing. Rapidly.

With plenty of time to spare, I printed the poem and slipped into Mr. Banner's room, planting the rose, chocolate and poem. Hopefully Bella would eat, since she hadn't at lunch. Then, just as quickly, I left the room.

I stayed outside, around the corner until Bella entered the classroom. I counted to ten, then twenty, and then thirty before following in behind her, sitting down.

She was staring at the note. I tried to ignore her, but my curiosity got the better of me. I peeked at her face.

She was glorious. Her eyes wide, her lips parted in shock and her cheeks blushing brightly.

_Is… Miss Swan passing notes? She would be the last one I would suspect of that… well, maybe the Cullens, too. _Damnit. This never went my way, did it? I glared at Mr. Banner as he approached obliviously.

"Bella? Is there something you would like to share?" Her heart stuttered and I inhaled deeply as she blushed.

Bella stammered some excuse; I was far too focused on controlling the venom coating my fangs to really listen. Mr. Banner muttered something and returned to the front of the room and Bella's blush faded. Able to withstand temptation at its greatest, I glanced down to her.

As if she could feel my eyes on her, she glanced to me. Quickly, I looked back to Mr. Banner, careful to keep my face closed and cold. It was better this way. Safer, at least.

Perhaps it was stalking. No, it _was_ stalking. But I didn't feel the least bit of remorse for it. In fact, I felt more alive than I had in eighty years. But I needed to be careful; Esme had commented on my new mood. Alice had just smiled instantly, and Jasper had shrugged. Esme had grown very suspicious.

I followed her home on foot. I waited until she had gone upstairs before I slipped in the front door. I knew she'd find the vase, so I laid a rose on one of the counters before slipping back outside.

I heard her move downstairs and her gasp. Quickly, I let myself in the window. I set the rose gently on the ledge, but I took too long. She was back. I dove into her closet, and listened quietly. Bella walked around her room, clearly nervous about someone being in her house. As she stepped out of her room, I bolted for the window. I climbed quickly up onto the roof, and waited.

**

* * *

**

(From Part Five: Closet)

Bella paced for a long while. I started to wonder if the "magical" roses weren't too much stress for her. Maybe they weren't a good idea, after all. Soon, though, it grew quiet. I listened intently in the silence. All I heard was the gradual slowing of her heart and breathing.

Hesitantly, I slipped down and peered into her window. She was napping. Carefully, I climbed inside, and began wandering around her room. After pacing for a while, I settled into the old, worn rocking chair and just watched her sleep peacefully. I closed my eyes, listening to the rhythmic flow of her breathing and heartbeat.

Her brunette locks fanned out around her, giving her the appearance of a sleeping beauty. I smiled quietly. I would eventually have to tell Esme about all of this. Unfortunately, she would tell Carlisle, and then everyone would know. Perhaps I could put off telling her.

"Edward," Bella mumbled, startling me. The first time she'd said my name while I was in her room, I'd nearly jumped out of my skin. I just smiled at her, and starting humming quietly. It was a song that had come to me. The day after I'd saved Bella from Tyler's truck, actually. The notes did that. They just came to life from my fingers. The song was incomplete, though. I felt like there should be two parts to the sweet song; a sort of soulful, mourning part, and a joyful retribution at the end. I only had the wanting part finished. The other half… would remain incomplete until it decided to exist.

I wondered if the sleeping girl before me had anything to do with that. I wouldn't be surprised if she did. Then I heard Chief Swan's cruiser. I sighed. I stood up, and glanced down at her. I didn't really want to leave. I could hide in her closet. I would be safe, if she didn't try and look for me.

I didn't think that would be too bad of an idea. I also didn't notice her jeans were folded on the floor. Not until she stood up. Something kicking inside of me, some instinct I wasn't used to. Without warning, my head snapped up, only to smack on the underside of one of the shelves. None too stealthy for the otherwise silent vampire.

Uttering a low oath, I had about two seconds to find a way out of this before she caught me red-handed in the humiliating position of playing peeping tom in her bedroom. Think, Edward, think.

I couldn't just run out of her closet and escape. What about shelving? Did she have shelving? She must: I _did_ hit my head on something and somehow managed to not leave an impression of my face, thank the stars.

I glanced up. On a whim, I reached up and pulled myself off the ground. Bracing against the walls, I climbed up to the ceiling and stayed perfectly still, spread-eagle against all four walls. I looked like someone out of that movie _Mission: Impossible_. Pressing my back to the ceiling, I waited.

Suddenly, she yanked the door open and brandished a letter opener. Really. I had to fight the urge to chuckle. I just hoped she didn't look up. Bella didn't. She rifled through everything within her reach, but didn't raise her eyes.

A bit discouraged, she left me to my humiliating position as she went downstairs. Quietly, I lowered myself down. I started to leave, but then remembered my reason for coming. I still had a rose for her. Chuckling quietly, I took out the rose and ribbon and looped the ribbon around the clothes rod. Then I carefully tied the other end to the rose. Now I just needed to leave. One part of me argued to stay and watch her. But I couldn't. No more mistakes. I didn't want to get caught by Bella in her closet, spread-eagle against the ceiling. I just prayed Alice hadn't seen that.

**

* * *

**

(From Part Six: Broken Hearted)

Valentine's Day. Or as Bella seemed to like it, Single's Awareness Day. From what I could tell, Eric had staked out the parking lot, determined to be the first to give candy to Bella. The day was going well – I had three more flowers I would give her tonight with the rest of the poem. Typed, of course. Everything was going well.

Until Crowley showed up.

I don't know where he got the idea to give Bella roses – roses were _my_ thing for her – but it lit a fire inside me. I'd never been so furious with anyone before. I watched as he gave her the flowers, and I watched her reaction. First shock, then understanding, and then depression. Did she really think Tyler had given her all the others?

The monster inside of me roared. It demanded not blood, but revenge. I could smell the saline. She was crying. Tyler had made Bella cry. I could not allow that. And I simply could not allow her to believe he was her… what had Angela called it? Secret admirer. In my day, flowers were the first step to courtships. But I would never, ever be allowed to court Bella Swan. For her safety, and for the safety of my family.

I wanted to tell her, I really did. And when she looked up at me, my stone heart nearly cracked. Jasper came up beside me and I could feel calmness radiating from him. Apparently, he sensed my desire to kill. Quietly, we walked toward our next classes together. This wasn't over yet.

I sat perfectly still throughout my next few classes and then through lunch. Biology rolled around, and I halfway dreaded seeing Bella in her state of distress. When she sat down, however, she was calmer.

And then… Mike walked over. I'll admit; Newton was dense. However, I had never seen Bella explode as she did.

When Mike questioned her about her relationship with Tyler, Bella looked like _she_ was the one who wanted to attack and kill him, not me. It was rather fetching on her lovely features. I tried not to stare. I was tempted to intervene. Say something to protect her, but she did just fine on her own. Until she dragged me into it, too.

"For crying out loud, Mike. What's your problem? No, Cullen did not give me candy. Why don't you ask him? He's sitting right there, in case you can't see him. Maybe he'll decide to talk to _you_," she snapped out at him. I winced slightly. I really was that cruel to her, wasn't I? She couldn't possibly understand how it was for her own safety. But still…

Finally, Mike slinked back to his seat, looking a little ashamed of himself. I sighed softly, trying to contain my chuckle. She really was absolutely intoxicating when she was livid. Both literally and figuratively.

_Quiz, quiz, quiz!_

Over DNA building blocks, I'd imagine. As Mr. Banner announced it, Bella smacked her head down on the desk.

She raised it when he placed the exam in front of her. Quickly, she started on it. I finished mine before her, handed it in, and walked out quickly before I changed my mind about not mauling Newton.

**

* * *

**

Part Seven: Understanding

I waited until evening. She was having the sleepover with Angela Weber. I would wait until I had my chance. I glanced down at the three roses in my hand. Crowley had forced my hand – I had handwritten the last of the poem. She would know that it had been _me_. Not him. I sat on top of the roof, listening, waiting.

They had pedicures. Women. I watched Angela's thoughts carefully; I could only see Bella through her mind. Angela was incredibly sharp as well – she had guessed that the roses were from me, but hadn't told Bella. I had no idea if Bella suspected me or not. Charlie quickly retired, murmuring something about crazy women in his head before he went to bed.

Finally, Bella headed for the shower. Several minutes went by before Angela decided she wanted a soda. Finally. I had my minute. I slipped in the window, laid the roses and poem on the pillow, and crept back out onto the roof, closing the window behind me. I waited thirty seconds, but I couldn't stand it any longer.

I leapt from the roof and ran back home. I couldn't wait around. I couldn't afford to, anyway. Rosalie was growing suspicious, and she was the _last_ person I wanted knowing about this.

I sat quietly, forcing myself to be calm as I waited for her to come to the lab. I heard the chair slide beside me, her racing heart pound and her infectious scent surround me. I tried to keep my thoughts clear.

After several minutes, I turned to look at her. She was staring rather pointedly at Mr. Banner and not at all looking my direction. I took the rare occasion to examine her face. Her pretty, pouting lips, deep, dark eyes and elegant, pale, swanlike neck. As if she could feel my eyes, she turned to face me.

"Was it you?" How could I answer that? I pressed my lips together tightly, forbidding myself from saying something I'd regret. I could feel her patience wearing thin next to me, but I refused to give in. Not yet. We couldn't be close. I wasn't allowed to, and it was simply safer for everyone concerned. "Won't you talk to me?" She persisted.

"There is nothing to say," I said tightly, trying to keep from turning to her and admitting everything.

"Was it you from the beginning?" She really wasn't going to let this go. I sighed. I couldn't say too much. I shouldn't say anything, but I felt obligated to. After Tyler had made her cry, I felt like I needed to make it better. Somehow. No, I _wanted_ to make it better, I grudgingly admitted to myself. Just as long as Alice didn't see that. But how could _I_ make her better? Tyler was better for her, by physical standards. A monster like me didn't belong anywhere near someone like her. And yet, the idea of Crowley spending time with Bella intimately made my nonexistent blood boil. Funny how this girl brought out the most human emotions in me. I'd thought them to be dead for eighty years.

"Do you like roses?" I tried a different tactic. I stared right at her and she faced me, her eyes locked on mine.

"Yes, very much. Even more, now, I'll admit," she said shyly. I blinked at her. I couldn't help the deep feeling of elation that swelled inside of me. I turned away before she could see the hints of a smile that were just dying to break across my face. Cold. Detached. That was how I had to be.

"Then that is all that matters," I replied coolly. Nothing more needed to be said. I had been worried she didn't even like roses, but Alice assured me that wasn't a problem. Bella seemed content with the answer – for now. She turned back to Mr. Banner. I watching him, too. But I didn't hear a word he said.

I was worried. Bella Swan was taking over my mind. I couldn't hear her thoughts, but I saw her every time I closed my eyes. I craved contact with her, diving into that deep, probing mind of hers. A deep, forbidden part of me wanted to tell her what I was, just to see how she would react. Esme thought I cared for her. I didn't care for anyone. I didn't need anyone. I just found her interesting. Excruciatingly interesting.

I didn't know how much longer I could honor the bargain I made with my family and myself. I didn't know how much longer I could limit my contact with Bella. All I did know, though, was that I didn't want to any longer.

**And no, I don't think I'll be writing any more for this. I do believe this will be the end of this series. I'll just have to work on my other stuff now! Thank you so, so, so much for your support! I had no IDEA so many people would like this! I am completely overwhelmed by the number of reviews and hits. I love you all so much! You keep me writing!**

--This story has been nominated on **Twilight Awards**! If you enjoy this, please go to www(dot)twilightawards(dot)this-paradise(dot)com and vote for me! It's up for the vote for **Best Overall Romance**, **Best Edward/Bella Characterization**, **Most Original Plot, **AND **Best Overall Scene** for the closet scene from Edward's perspective! Please, please if you have the time, vote for me! :D Love you all!


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